This invention relates to a machine for washing golf balls. More particularly, this invention relates to a mechanical apparatus designed to wash a large number of golf balls very rapidly by combining a vibrating feed trough with a spiral washing cage which encircles a rotating brush in a water tank, whereby golf balls are automatically fed into the spiral cage and come into contact with the rotating brush which forces the golf balls through the spiral cage as the brush turns and subsequently ejects them in a clean condition leaving the dirt and debris in the tank. These and other advantages will become apparent from the detailed disclosure of the present invention presented hereinafter.
As it perhaps well known, the game of golf today has become one of the most popular sports not only in the United States, but throughout the world. On golf courses and practice driving ranges everywhere, one major problem has been the cleaning of a large number of used golf balls which are kept on hand for either reuse or rental. Needless to say, these golf balls are subjected to a great deal of physical abuse on the golf course and especially on driving ranges where they are used over and over again. It should not be too difficult to envision the dirt and debris often imbeded in the surface of these golf balls after continual use, but also the gashed and torn surfaces of these balls which not only causes an unsightly appearance but also the possibility of affecting the ball's aerodynamics in flight. Heretofore, dirty golf balls were usually scrubbed clean either by hand or by a machine similar to a polisher with rubber buffer pads. The hand cleaning method was unacceptable for a large number of golf balls due to the amount of time required to clean each one. The polishing machine method was alright for golf balls without damaged surfaces, but where there were cuts or slices in the surface the rubber buffing pads tended to dislodge pieces of the golf ball's surface and these small pieces very often jam the internal working parts of the polishing machine causing the necessity to disassemble and clean the polishing machine itself. It had long been felt that golf ball washing machine was needed to clean a large number of golf balls automatically, quickly, inexpensively, and most importantly, without jamming when rocks or small pieces of the ball were dislodged from the ball'ssurface. These objectives among others are achieved by using my new invention herein described.